I recently had the opportunity to replace a missing tilter on the rear leg of a Shaker side chair. According to Tim Rieman in "The Encyclopedia of Shaker Furniture," the tilter is "a device designed by Shaker chair makers to allow the chair to tilt backward slightly without causing damage to the wood floors. It consisted of a half-sphere inserted into the hollowed rear post of a side chair, secured with a leather thong passing through holes drilled into either side of the post and through the rounded portion of the ball. A metal version was patented by Brother George O. Donnell of Mount Lebanon in 1852."
